In most internal combustion engines, lubrication oil must be filtered to remove contaminants from the oil. In general, two standard type oil filters are used in the industry. One type of oil filter is the spin-on oil filter that comprises the filtration medium encased within a metal or plastic housing. The other style oil filter is a cartridge filter where the outer housing is not present. Proper engine maintenance normally requires that the oil filter be periodically removed and either cleaned or replaced to ensure proper oil filtration.
Spin-on oil filters are frequently mounted in an inverted position, that is, with the openings into and out of the filter orientated facing down and the filter housing facing up. While such an inverted orientation provides for good operation of the filter and can simplify the design of oil flow passages to and from the filter, this orientation has issues for removing the filter from the oil filtration circuit for maintenance. Specifically, when an inverted spin-on oil filter is removed, oil trapped within the volume of the filter housing flows through the openings in the filter and spills over the filter mounting area and into the environment. Such spillage is both a nuisance to the user and an environmental hazard.
Shrouds and guide ways to funnel the draining oil away form the mounting area and into an oil receptacle are known but generally are not convenient to use and/or fail to adequately constrain and collect the spilled oil.